Broken Moon
by xXBrokenWingXx
Summary: Driven by curiosity, Penny finds herself snooping into her new neighbor's private life after she sees something she can't ignore. Soon enough she'll realize that some secrets are better off left hidden...
1. Chapter 1

A waning moon hung in the middle of the sky, informing everyone who looked up that the month was starting to end and it was around midnight. The cold, bitter breeze that blew by chilled me to the core. I wrapped my arms tighter around my legs, which were pulled up to my chest. The thin sweatshirt that I was wearing over a tank top and the flannel pajama bottoms did little to protect me from the November temperature. However, despite that I freezing I refused to go inside. I couldn't fall asleep, and the sight of the moon always relaxed me. Although, I wasn't sure that my parents would appreciate the fact that my favorite place to look at the moon was on the roof of our house.

I heard wolves howling in the distance and could also, surprisingly, define the mixed screams of cougars. The cougars that lived in our forest were usually quiet, while the wolves were always howling at the moon. My dad had a certain interest in the habits and adaptations of our neighborhood wildlife, so I made a note to inform him of what I had noticed.

I had made slightly less-slanted area of roofing outside of my bedroom window my own personal haven. Whenever something was bothering me or I couldn't sleep, I simply pried the window open, slipped onto the ledge, and tiptoed out to where I always sat.

I inhaled deeply and exhaled in a sigh, watching as my breath curled into smoke-like wisps in front of my face. A shiver that started at my shoulders traveled all the way down to my toes as a strong gust of wind threatened to knock me over. My eyes watered a little, but blinking rapidly a few times cured that problem.

Just as I was deciding that maybe it was time to go back inside and curl up in my warm and welcoming bed, headlights from down the street caught my eye. We—my family and I—lived in a small neighborhood that was surrounded by a forest (the one that a pack of wolves and some cougars lived in). It was surprising to see anyone out so late, especially if they were coming down here. The only inhabitants of our little street were old couples, my family, and one middle-aged couple, which made me wonder why anyone would be down here in the middle of the night.

As the car drew closer, I recognized it to belong to the middle-aged couple, Peter and Joann Covington. They lived in the house next to mine, so my family knew them pretty well. They were younger than my parents by a couple of years, but they didn't have any kids. Still… I doubted that they'd be off doing God knows what and just getting back home at midnight.

The silver Honda Civic passed by my house and pulled up the driveway to the Covington's house. I heard the engine to the car stop and I stood, hurrying across the roof so that I could have a better view of the Covingtons. My foot kicked a pebble, causing it to skitter down the roof. Thankfully, though, it wasn't noticeable because the wolves and cougars were still being loud.

I lowered myself to the roof, laying on my stomach. Mr. Covington got out of the car, slamming his car door shut carelessly. Mrs. Covington was out of the car next, hurrying over to the front door of their house. She fumbled with her keys, trying to find the right one in the darkness of night.

Mr. Covington, I noticed, was cautiously approaching the side door of the car. He waited until his wife had opened the door to the house before he slowly opened the car door. From where I was, I could see Mr. Covington visibly relax. He said something to his wife, which I couldn't catch because of the wolves. The cougars had quieted, but the wolves were still howling—and seeming to get louder.

Mrs. Covington nodded and opened the house door as wide as it would go. Their cat, Lily, tried to escape out the door but Mrs. Covington grabbed her and took her inside, most likely going to shut her in a bathroom.

I turned my attention back to Mr. Covington, who was struggling to pull something out of the backseat of the car. Finally, he managed to get it and what I saw made my heart jump to my throat and my blood turn to ice.

Mr. Covington was actually carrying a _person_. Granted, the boy was out cold but… it was just too weird. Nothing _ever _happened here… I noticed the large, dark stains on the boy's clothes and automatically assumed that it was blood, which made my heart thump wildly and unevenly.

As the middle-aged man carried the teenager, who was thrown almost carelessly, it seemed, over his shoulder and walked into his house, I couldn't seem to register what was going on. It took several minutes before I could even move, and even after I had forced myself to stand and go back into my room, slam the window shut, and lock it, I still couldn't process what was going on.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning I wasn't sure about what I was going to do. The curiosity of what I'd seen last night was driving me crazy. I wanted the full story of what was going on. I felt like I _needed_ to know. There was an itch in my palms that I couldn't get rid of. It could only be satisfied by knowing exactly what was going on.

So I decided to bake chocolate chip cookies and lemon-poppy seed muffins and see where it got me.

I walked up to the Covington's front door with Mom's wicker basket filled with homemade baked goods. I knew Mrs. Covington would be unable to resist the smell—she loved anything homemade (but lacked the talent to cook). So I stood on their porch, rapping my knuckles against the door.

I heard Mr. Covington trip over something and swear loudly in his rush to get to the door. When the door swung open, there was a bright, juvenile smile on my face that was hard to resist. "Good morning Mr. Covington! How are you?" I asked sincerely. Despite my ulterior motives, I really was curious about how he was. Mr. Covington never swore and he was always presentable. Right now, though… his clothes were wrinkled and his hair was a mess, like he hadn't brushed it yet this morning, although it was nearly twelve o'clock in the afternoon. Might I add that his glasses were askew on his nose, and he didn't even seem to notice.

"Oh, um, hello, Penelope." He said, either ignoring the question or he hadn't heard anything I had said.

With that same smile on my face, I said, "Oh please! Call me Penny, everyone does." I tilted my head to one side and glanced past him. "Is Mrs. Covington here? I really want to talk to her." I bounced on my heels a little to add to my enthusiasm. I may have been overdoing it, but I really didn't care.

"Oh, sorry Penny, but she's not i—"

"Peter? Who's at the door?" Mrs. Covington asked, cutting her husband off.

I grinned, half out of amusement and half out of success. "Mind if I come in?"

Mr. Covington let out a weary sigh and stepped out of the doorway. I hurried in, giving Mrs. Covington that same charming smile. "Good morning!"

Something flickered in Mrs. Covington's eyes when she saw me. Almost abruptly, though, it was replaced with feigned happiness and a meager smile. "Good morning, Penny." She noticed the wicker basket and her curiosity was sparked. "What did you bring?"

"I made some muffins and cookies this morning." I said, stepping over to their dining room table, which was to the right of the front door, and setting the basket on the table. "I hope chocolate chip and lemon-poppy seed are alright."

"Oh yes," Mrs. Covington said, following me over and smiling a bit more genuinely now. "It's fine. And they smell amazing, if I do say so myself."

I grinned again, mostly because of the praise and that I was still trying to come off as naïve. "I'm glad you seem to like them. You might wanna try one first, though."

Mrs. Covington nodded. "Yes, of course."

"Joann," Mr. Covington said, letting out a weary sigh as he walked over. "We really don't have time for visitors."

"Oh, right. Sorry, Penny," Mrs. Covington said, switching her gaze from her husband back to me. "But we don't have time for a visit today. We'll be sure to return the basket ASAP, though."

I frowned a little, trying not to stick out my lower lip too much. I didn't want to come off as a spoiled brat, just a kid who was bored and wanted to spend some time with her closest neighbors. "Oh… okay… I guess I'll just drop by another time then…"

"Yes, thank you, Penny. I'm sure the food will be lovely." Mr. Covington said, ushering me toward the door briskly.

"Are you sure you're alri—" I started, and then broke off when someone stepped into the dining room/foyer. His chin was tilted up slightly, like he was actually smelling the air, which was kind of weird. And although I hadn't gotten a good look of him last night, I _knew_ this was who Mr. Covington had brought into his house so secretively. What he was trying to hide from me.

The boy's gaze turned to me and I felt like it was pinning me to the wall. He studied me with slightly narrowed dark brown eyes. His messy black hair fell into his eyes, shadowing them and making his eyes seem darker. He looked to be a couple of years older than me, about eighteen or nineteen. He wasn't wearing a shirt, just pajama pants that must have been borrowed from Mr. Covington. He had multiple scars, big and small, and newer wounds that must have been the source of all the blood from last night. It took a lot for me to make my gaze move from his body to his eyes—for more than one reason.

I could automatically tell that he was in no way related to the Covingtons. The Covingtons had light colored hair and blue eyes—both of them. Though I knew he didn't _have _to be an exact copy of them, he looked nothing like them at all. The Covingtons were small and slender, while he was an inch taller than Mr. Covington and had a muscular build that could never pass as "small." He just… had no features in common with the Covingtons whatsoever. Not even a small thing.

I inhaled deeply, wrapping my arms around myself as he continued to watch me. An uneasy feeling finally washed over me and I felt like I was a rabbit and he was a wolf. "I'm, um, Penelope Andrew. Everyone calls me Penny, though…" I trailed off as his stony gaze seemed to harden even more.

Mr. Covington was the one who answered for the boy. "Penny, this is Braden. Joann and I adopted him the other day and we just wanted to wait for a more… formal introduction."

"Oh, okay." I said lightly, my voice almost breaking. I cleared my throat before giving Braden a small smile. "I guess I'll see you around then." I glanced at Mr. and Mrs. Covington before saying, "I'll let my mom and dad know and I'm sure we'll be able to work something out."

Mrs. Covington smiled weakly. "Thank you, Penny."

I nodded once before bolting out the door, not meaning to slam it as I left but ending up doing so anyway. I broke into a run as soon as I was at their driveway. For some unknown reason, there was something hostile and feral about Braden. And the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Covington hadn't wanted me to see him… that just made things even weirder.


	3. Chapter 3

It was the evening after I had gone over to the Covington's house and discovered Braden. I was helping my mom set the dining room table for dinner tonight. Mr. and Mrs. Covington had actually agreed to come over for dinner tonight, and they were even going to bring Braden with them. I spent most of the time wondering what lies they would come up with to tell my parents.

The doorbell rang, causing me to jump and a fork to clatter to the floor. "I'll get it," I said in a rush, abandoning the fork and hurrying to the front door.

I heard my mother scoff and saw her bend down and pick up the utensil off the ground. Hiding a smirk at her reaction, I opened the front door and forced a smile upon my face. "Hi Mr. and Mrs. Covington," I said a bit too brightly. My gaze slid to the boy standing uneasily behind them and added cautiously, "Braden."

He gave me a small nod in response before glancing over his shoulder and at the forest that surrounded our tiny little neighborhood. Maybe the Covingtons were working on his manners…

"You look nice tonight, Penny," Mrs. Covington said politely.

"Oh, um," I glanced down at the jean skirt and tank top. "Thanks." I said respectfully before stepping out of the door way. "Come on in, dinner's almost ready so you can just have a seat at the table."

"Alright," Mrs. Covington said lightly, stepping inside the house and wandering into the dining room.

"The muffins were wonderful, by the way." Mr. Covington said as he stepped past me, gracing me with a small smile.

I returned the gesture and said, "Glad you like them."

The couple was in the dining room now, leaving Braden outside standing on the dimly lit porch. I tried to stifle my unease as I watched him, and a shiver ran down my spine when his sharp gaze met mine. Trying to ease the tension—mainly my tension—I said nonchalantly, "Do you needed to be invited in or something?"

The corner of his mouth twitched up in a smirk and he said coolly, "That's vampires that you're thinking about." He stepped past the threshold of my house before adding, "And only Dracula needed to be invited in, I believe."

I managed to force a small laugh. "I'll be sure to keep my windows and door locked, then."

"You should." He said flippantly. "You never know what's out there." Without a second glance he strode into the dining room, leaving me frozen in place.

Once I came to my senses, I shut the front door with a little more force than usual and, with slight hesitation, slid the deadbolt into place. When I turned to face the dining room, I saw a small smirk on Braden's face, though he was paying attention to the conversation that my parents were trying to have with him.

I tried not to appear too irritated as I stepped into the room, taking my usual seat next to my mom. She usually sat next to my father, who sat at the head of the table. Mr. Covington would sit at the foot, and Mrs. Covington next to him. And then Braden in the empty seat.

_Well, _I thought gratefully, _at least he's not sitting directly across from me. Just… right next to Dad…_ Pressing my lips together, I slipped my feet out of my tan-colored Rainbow flip-flops and folded my legs under myself.

Mom and Mrs. Covington, absorbed in a conversation about God knew what, walked into the kitchen, going to get the food. Dad and Mr. Covington sat in their predicted spots but… Braden sat right across from me.

When I met his gaze, there was a polite smile on his lips. "Your mother said that you go to the public school down here. Rumbling Waters or something?"

I nodded once and said, just barely audible, "That's the one."

Braden nodded slightly. "I believe my… parents…"—I noticed that he faltered on the word—"want me to attend that school."

Mr. Covington nodded once, apparently having been listening to the conversation. "That's right. He starts tomorrow. I hope you'll be able to show him around, Penny. It's always nice to know someone when you're new."

"Well, it's nice that you get to start on Monday. And sure, I can show Braden around and introduce him to people and all of that fun stuff." I said tightly, not liking Mr. Covington's idea one bit.

Mom and Mrs. Covington walked back into the room at that moment, setting the food onto the table. They had just saved me from continuing a strained conversation. I noticed that Mrs. Covington faltered slightly when she noticed that Braden had taken what would have been her assumed spot, but she didn't say anything. She sat silently next to her "adopted son" without a single objection.

Once dinner had started I decided to see how far the Covington's story went with their alleged son. "So Braden," I started, glancing up from my food. "Where are you from?"

"Around here, actually." He said blithely without skipping a beat.

"Oh. Well it's a small town, so how come I've never seen you around before?" I asked, cocking my head to one side curiously.

Braden glanced up at me, his dark eyes expressionless. "I'm from the city."

"I guess that could explain it." I said, shrugging my shoulders. "What school did you go to before Mr. and Mrs. Covington so kindly adopted you?"

I knew he didn't have an answer for that, and the Covingtons knew it, too.

"Braden was homeschooled. That's why he doesn't know most of the kids around here." Mrs. Covington said quickly, glancing at her husband once she was done speaking.

"Oh. That's cool." I said lightly before saying to Braden, "Maybe I could see where you used to live sometime soon."

"Maybe," Braden replied coolly, never having looked away from me with that blank expression. He knew I was up to something. Knew that I knew something.

"Penny what's with the interrogation?" Mom murmured to me, a smile plastered on her face.

"Just curious," I replied before going back to my food.

I didn't say anything for the rest of the dinner. My family and the Covingtons and their new "son" stood on the porch talking for about fifteen minutes. Braden and I stood by silently. I think he was actually listening, while I was swatting away mosquitoes and scratching the bites where they had gotten past me.

Finally, they decided that it was time to go. I was beyond relieved… until Braden pulled me aside. He kept his voice low as he said, "I know what you're trying to do, Penny."

"Do you now?" I asked lightly.

"Take it from someone who knows," He said, eyes slightly narrowed, "Knowledge isn't always a good thing. And if you actually had some common sense, you'd know that this isn't something that you want to find out about."


End file.
